Server-Gated Cryptography

Server-Gated CryptographyTM TM
Server-Gated Cryptography:providing better security for more users
Contents:
Forward thinking...1. Overview2. An argument for proactive security3. Why SGC? A brief history4. How a SGC-enabled SSL certificate works5. Building Blocks of Transparent Web Security: Server-Gated Cryptography6. Is thawte's SGC SuperCert certificate right for my business?7. About thawte8. The value of authentication9. Contact details and useful links
Appendix:
1. Why 128-bit is stronger than 40 and 56-bit encryption2. Strong gets stronger - 256-bit encryptionTM TM
Forward thinking...
With the widespread global adoption of wireless technologies, hundreds of millions of people living developingcountries are logging onto the internet for the first time.
While many will be doing so with new computers, still many more will no doubt be relying on outdatedsoftware to surf the WWW. Many of them will be naïve about the dangers that lie and wait in cyberspace.
As the enablers of secure and global electronic commerce it is our duty to help companies empower andprotect these new citizens of the internet. If our technology, trusted services and products can help youto protect even one user, let alone the tens of millions who require such assistance, then we have doneour duty.
This is what SGC-enabled SSL certificates are intended to do.TM TM
Overview
This guide will help you to understand how SGC-enabled SSL certificates work and why they aredifferent from other certificates, why the technology was first introduced in the late 90s, and whythis technology remains as relevant today as it was back then.
E-commerce businesses using Server-Gated Cryptography-enabled SSL certificates can help assurecustomers of stronger encryption, greater privacy and reduced risks of fraud and identity theft. This is notone person's or organization's opinion. This is a fact - proven by the Yankee Group who conductedexhaustive independent tests (368 to be exact!) to arrive at this conclusion (1).
SGC technology may have originated in the late 90s but it remains as relevant today as it did when it wasfirst introduced more than six years ago. The widespread growth of broadband globally (2) will necessitatethe use of technologies that are forward thinking and proactive.
SGC is such a technology because, unlike other SSL certificates that rely on the user's browser being ableto match a server's cipher suite, SGC helps users attain more secure connection by actually stepping upsome users' browsers in specific situations.
The Yankee Group's study very boldly concluded, "SGC-enabled certificates enable more Windows 2000users to connect with 128-bit encryption. This difference means tens of millions more internet usersworldwide would get 128-bit encryption or higher if all e-commerce vendors used SGC-enabled certificates."(1)
The fact that 75% of US businesses (3) believe that a threat from unprotected systems in developingcountries pose a growing threat to their digital security, strengthens the argument supporting using proactivetechnologies like SGC-enabled SSL certificates.
The internet has given companies a cost-effective and extremely powerful medium to connect with customersanywhere in the world. Broadband is making it possible for more people from every corner of the globeto go shopping in cybermalls, unrestricted by time and geography.
These great new opportunities that await e-businesses who want to expand globally will demand proactivesecurity to protect both the e-business resources and databases, as well as provide protection for newcustomers who may be relying on outdated software to explore the internet.
Referencing:
1. Building Blocks of Transparent Web Security: Server-Gated Cryptography - The Yankee Group, September 20052. World Broadband Statistics: Q3 2005 - Point Topic Ltd. 20053. U.S. Businesses: Cost of Cybercrime Overtakes Physical Crime - IBM, March 2006TM TM
An argument for proactive security
The internet is the embodiment of globalization - its growth fueled by the widespread global adoption offaster, always-on broadband ADSL and wireless service, the global expansion of multinationals and theirmobilized army of workers who trade information anywhere and anytime.
With the internet's growth comes a new opportunity for many small and larg... [download for more]